Retro Show 2007 Report

Nobody cares about the tennis! Or at least nobody at the Retro Show did anyway. We were having far too much fun playing with some of the coolest cars from the last millennium.

The Retro Show at Santa Pod Raceway was all about those wonderful machines that smell of leather and oil, and were designed by artists not computers. The Retro Show rose from the ashes of the Retro Car Show like a shining phoenix, and support for the event has sent a clear message that the Retro motoring scene is more vibrant than ever.

Bikes and cars from all eras of motoring were at the Pod for a fun day of drag racing, show cars, autotest and more, and we were blessed with glorious sunshine for virtually the whole day. One thing was very clear from the Retro Show and that is that everyone was welcome. We had Hot Rods, MGBs, Mk1 Capris, Beetles, Scooters, Kawasaki Z1s, Minis, Volvos, Polos, wheelie-popping Escorts, even modern retros like the Nissan Figaro. There isn’t enough space on the internet to list the full extent of the cool rides at the show, but you just could not get bored of the machines people brought along.

As ever at Santa Pod, there was a focus on the drag strip, and Run What Ya Brung (RWYB) was busy all day, with loads of people making the most of the excellent track conditions.

For those who wanted to show that their car could also go around corners, the handling track was also popular. It was hilarious to see Mk2 Fiestas hurtling around on 2 wheels and Triumph Heralds drifting around the tight turns as if they were modern drift cars. But the handling track honours went to Paul Norris in his lairy Talbot, who clocked a superb 35.57 seconds.

Autotest
Paul Norris
Talbot
35.57 sec

Off track, the Show & Shine competition built up over the day, and by lunchtime more than 30 cool retro rides were entered into the competition. This was not a concours display, but some spotless rides turned up nonetheless, and some cool modified cars and bikes entered too. The winners were hard to pick, such was the variety and excellence of the entries, but we had trophies that had to be given to someone, and these were the ones we liked best:

Standard 1960’sMike Smart - '67 Ford Mustang

This 40-year-old didn’t have a single wrinkle or saggy bit anywhere, and was restored almost to factory condition.

Modified 1960’s
Steve Wadsworth - '60 VW Bus

What’s long and hard and full of lovely details? Steve’s bus, that’s what.

Standard 1970’s
Adrian Shimmans - Ford RS2000

We couldn’t find a single fault with this car. In fact, it’s probably cleaner and shinier now than it was when it came out the factory 30 years ago.

Modified 1970’s
David Solloway - '70 Ford Mk2 Cortina

This class was won by default, but it doesn’t matter, because David’s ride was very, very cool anyway.

Standard 1980’s
Simon Alcorn - BMW Alpina C2 2.7

This rare beauty has been kept in remarkable condition by Simon, and was up against some tough competition.

Modified 1980’s
Scott Turner - '80 Mini Pickup

Scott’s mini was so cute and yet so hard you could hardly take your eyes off it. Loads of fresh details.

The provisional Show & Shine classes for Retro Show 2008 are: Best Pre-70's, Best 70's, Best 80's, Best Standard, Best Modified, Best Engine, Best Modern Retro, and Best 2-Wheeler.

The clubs stands were also definitely worth a viewing, with hundreds of show-winning cars packing the club areas, and also some crazy stuff that if not show-winning was at least cool as a penguin’s pods.

The winning club stand went to the small but perfectly formed Skool Dropouts with their collection of watercooled Vee Dubs.

On the other side of the track, the awesome Podzilla monster truck thundered it’s way to some heart-stopping burnouts and incredible car-crushing action, and the tank-rides proved popular with those who liked the idea of being inside a 10-tonne 1,000 bhp mobile castle.

We hope you had a great day at the Retro Show and are not too badly sunburnt. We are glad this show was a success. Make sure you tell your friends and club members about the show, and we’ll make it even more awesome for 2008! See you there!